Ed4All joins hands with Microsoft to drive women’s literacy rate in India

Chennai: On the occasion of Women's Day 2021 yesterday, Ed4All - a born digital Formal Education platform - joined hands with Microsoft to offer Top 50 girls in every district of India scholarships to study from class 9 to 12 on NIOS Curriculum, and to set up first-of-its-kind Digital Library in anchor NIOS Study Centres across the country to enable children access digital content on Devices. Both are transformational initiatives to support girl children to successfully complete their school education by enabling them to be job-ready. Besides access to cutting edge technology such as AI and Azure, the initiative is also set to provide access to a wide selection of certified technology courses by Microsoft and Pearson's Certiport, and fully prepare them to be inducted into the workforce.  

The BLEAP Microsoft Centre of NIOS Excellence will also house a digital Device Library that will help students who cannot afford to purchase the device for e-learning, to borrow devices. Aligning the announcement with International Women’s Day 2021 yesterday, Ed4All also rolled out over 400 scholarships for girl students across 8 districts of India, starting with Faridabad in Haryana.

Commenting on the occasion, Mr. Sanjay Viswanathan, Chairman – AdiGroup and Co-founder, Ed4All, said “We are delighted to be partnering with Microsoft who share our conviction to transform India through Education. We launched BLEAP® with a singular focus of giving everyone equal access to formal education at an affordable price. To have Microsoft with us means giving students access to relevant advanced technology and skills that enhances their employability. We know from McKinsey study that India can add c.25% to her GDP by bringing girls to schools, educating them and making them job ready. We know timing of our initiative is relevant to India in current pandemic context”.

Adding to this, Mr. Navtez Bal, Executive Director - Education & Public Sector, Microsoft said “The digital transformation of India is driving demand for tech-enabled jobs across every industry and with it the need for digital skills. We are deeply invested in creating a digital skills and education ecosystem that prepares India’s youth for the jobs of the future. Providing equal opportunity and access to digital skills for young girls is an important part of this journey and our partnership with Ed4All is a strong step in that direction.”

Speaking at the launch of BLEAP® Scholarship for Woman of Tomorrow in Faridabad, Mr.Shafi Mohammed, Chairman Iqraa Public School, who has gender and social equality at the heart of his values, said, "1400 years ago Prophet Muhammad never discriminated between a Boy and a Girl, and Islam or other religions of his time. His belief was centered on education for everyone, since an intelligent society would live in harmony and prosperity. Hence, he provided education equally to both. This is what I want to restore in today's and tomorrow's society through education. I am deeply honoured to have AdiGroup, Ed4All, and Microsoft collaborate with me to achieve this outcome and make Faridabad a 21st century beacon."